DiscoverOutspoken Voices - a Podcast for LGBTQ+ Families
Outspoken Voices - a Podcast for LGBTQ+ Families
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Outspoken Voices - a Podcast for LGBTQ+ Families

Author: Family Equality

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The Outspoken Voices Podcast is created by Family Equality, with a new episode delivered every month. With help from invited guests, we address discuss essential topics for LGBTQ+ families, or members of the LGBTQ+ community who are thinking about starting a family.
61 Episodes
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Join Family Equality for an important conversation about navigating race in the Texas school system, with special guests Stacey and Cheralyn Stevenson, Melanie Maine, Jackie Juarez, and Sonya Parker Goode, facilitated by Luna Malbroux. In this hour-long “roundtable” discussion, these amazing advocates share their experiences as LGBTQ+ parents and allies raising children of color in Texas—from deciding which neighborhoods to live in to advocating for their children in school and everything in between. To watch this podcast as a video, click here.About our guests:Stacey Stevenson (she/they) is the CEO of Family Equality. They are an experienced business leader who has worked in Defense, Technology, and Finance senior roles, where they tirelessly advocated for creating a safe and inclusive space for all in the workplace. Stacey has been active in the fight for equality in Dallas through leading community projects and non-profit board service. She and her wife Cheralyn have been married 14 years and reside in Dallas with their 6-year-old twin boys Duke and London.Sonya Parker Goode’s passion for helping people led her to pursue a dual career in education and non-profit work almost 25 years ago. As a certified life coach and anger management specialist, Sonya enjoys developing and teaching tools that help people increase their confidence, set and respect boundaries, develop resilience, and engage with others using effective communication and conflict resolution techniques. She has successfully managed a number of community education programs in Dallas County and has almost 10 years of experience in teaching at the secondary and post-secondary levels. Jackie Juarez is a mom, wife, and psychotherapist of color who thoroughly enjoys raising her 5-year-old son and 3 puppies. Jackie’s work reminds her that we need to stop and pay more attention to our inner voices and collectively strive for more love, care, and advocacy to improve our collective and personal spaces. Melanie Maine is a mother, a wife in a same-sex marriage, a parent to non-white, adopted children and a therapist in Texas schools; projects like this are important to her, families like hers and future generations. “The first step to progress is sharing our stories and collaborating with people that understand,” she says. She is a fierce advocate for her children, and other marginalized students.Luna Malbroux is the Chief Vibe Officer of Joy Channel an org that brings together a team of creatives and change agents to create tailored experiences, workshops, and content that help us grow and heal.Cheralyn Stevenson is the CEO of The Changists, a legal operations consulting agency dedicated to modernizing law firms for the future. With 20 years of experience in the legal industry, Cheralyn’s expertise informs her work-ethic and creativity just as much as her pride and identity inform her values and leadership. Cheralyn and her wife, Stacey, live in Dallas, TX with their adopted twin boys, Duke and London.Links to Learn MoreExplore Family Equality’s Inclusive Schools ResourcesLearn more about Stacey and Cheralyn’s experiences as LGBTQ+ parents in TexasLearn more about Black Lives Matter in SchoolsLearn more about the Joy Channel
In this episode host Emily McGranachan and co-host Dakota Fine meet with Sunu Chandy and discuss her recently completed book of poetry My Dear Comrades. On the pod, Sunu reads three poems and gives careful thought to her work and life as a lawyer, mom, wife, daughter, and outspoken member of the LGBTQ+ community. We discuss: being the child of immigrants, fertility issues, adoption, misassumptions about identity, and being a parent and a caretaker. About Our GuestSunu is an activist, civil rights attorney, creative writer, and parent. She is the Legal Director for National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) and is a boardmember of the Transgender Law Center. Her book of poetry is titled My Dear Comrades, to be published by Regal House Press in 2023. Follow Sunu on Twitter and sign up to receive more information about her book here. Links to Learn MoreSingle Mothers by Choice Split this RockTerry Boggis, LGBTQ Center (NY) 
Whether you're searching for your child's first picture book or striving to diversify your neighborhood library, it's not always easy to discover books that represent diverse families in a loving and respectful way. In today's episode, we're joined by Alli Harper, founder of Ourshelves: Diverse Book Boxes for Children, to talk more about the impact of diverse storytelling and how we can come together to advocate for more LGBTQ+ representation in #KidLit. About Our GuestAlli Harper is the founder and owner of OurShelves, a diverse children’s books subscription service and advocacy effort. She is also a lawyer and community organizer who believes in fairness. She and her wife, Jenn, are "Mommy" and “Mama” to Anna (ages 8), Isaac (age 2). Links to Learn MoreLearn more about Ourshelves. Check out the Mombian Database of LGBTQ+ Family Books, Media, and More.Visit Family Equality's Book Nook. Explore the Diverse BookFinder to identify and explore multicultural picture books. Discover Stonewall Award-winning books and books on the ALA's Rainbow List. Read, "Inclusive Bedtime Stories: Finding Books that Celebrate Trans, Nonbinary, and Gender Nonconforming Identities." Check out our Back to School resources 
LGBTQ+ families, adoption, and identities intersect in many ways. Previous guest Nishta and Tatiana return to discuss how adoption factors into their family stories and how discrimination and unequal systems for parental recognition continue to harm our families. Learn and laugh with these two rockstar parents of color, from the south, in multiracial families.About our guestsTatiana Quiroga is the Director of Family Equity and Diversity for Family Equality, and also previously served as Director of National Family Networks and Southern Regional Manager. Tatiana has an extensive background in the non-profit sector, mental health counseling field, and higher education. She earned her Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling from Rollins College and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Central Florida. Originally from La Paz, Bolivia, Tatiana grew up in the Boston area. Now, she resides in Orlando, FL with her wife, Jen, and their sons, Lukas and Gabriel.Nishta Mehra is the first-generation daughter of Indian immigrants, born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. She is a proud alumna of St. Mary’s Episcopal School, Rice University (B.A. in Religious Studies), and the University of Arizona (M.F.A. in Creative Writing). Nishta is also a partner, parent, teacher, and writer. Her publications include two books, The Pomegranate King, and Brown White Black, published in February 2019. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her wife, Jill, and their kids Shiv & Jesus.
Brent Wright is one of 64 million sandwich generation Americans who has simultaneously cared for an aging parent and his kids, all under the same roof.  What made their setup unusual? His mom moved in with Brent and his husband, Sandis, plus their two daughters.  Brent tells us how the dynamics in their family changed when his mom moved in, and how his 7- and 10-year-old daughters help care for their grandma.  This is Episode 185 - LGBTQ Sandwich Generation from the Agewyz Podcast.
COLAGE Community

COLAGE Community

2020-01-2130:38

Three queerspawn share the history and future of COLAGE and their own stories of finding community. 
2019 Highlights

2019 Highlights

2020-01-0730:19

2019 was a powerful year for Outspoken Voices. With over twenty episodes released, stories of LGBTQ+ families ranged from trans pregnancy to the perspectives of adopted queerspawn. Listen to some highlights from the year and get inspired for what's to come!
The options for known vs anonymous vs identity-release sperm/egg donors and the ability to contact donor-siblings have undergone big changes in recent years. Today, we’re are coming across people who share DNA through test companies – sometimes accidentally. To share our own experiences and to dig into the realities and ethics of it all, are two fellow donor-conceived queerspawn – Jamie and Lilly! 
Education touches all our families around the world in very different ways. This episode is dedicated to the ups and downs, challenges and inspiration of pushing for LGBTQ+ inclusive policies and practices in schools, especially early education. Guests Justine Gonzalez and Caitlin Ryan share perspectives as advocates, parents, and educators. 
Listening to Adoptees

Listening to Adoptees

2019-11-1931:18

National Adoption Month continues! This episode features a special live taping of Inside Out LGBT Radio. Activist, author, and trans-racially adopted adult child of LGBTQ+ parents, Tony Hynes, hosts a powerful and honest discussion about trans-racial adoption, ethics, and adoptee experiences. He is joined by Schai, adopted internationally by a white single parent, and Beth, a white adoptive parent to two children of color. This powerful and raw conversation is not to be missed. 
The representation of LGBTQ families in the media has been uneven, at best. Queer families are hungry to see themselves in print and on screen. Guests Sadie Epstein-Fine and Makeda Zook join the host to talk about their sagas of searching for representation (The Ellen Show VHS tapes are still floating around) and creating their own media with their new book, Spawning Generations. 
Sometimes our parents come out and transition after children are part of a family. The impact that a parent's transition and/or gender identity has on a family can be profound. And it can be a powerful moment of love and truth. Two people with transgender parents (PTP) share their stories and experiences of having parents who transitioned while they middle schoolers. Get ready to learn and be inspired. 
Getting Campy

Getting Campy

2019-03-0531:45

As Family Week in Provincetown is celebrating 25 years, there are a growing number of LGBTQ+ family summer camp weeks and weekends around the country. Why are LGBTQ+ family spaces important? Are spaces like camps made queer just by us being there? Two parents and attendees of Camp OUT in Michigan join the host for a conversation about how we form LGBTQ+ family spaces and how they are changing. 
Being a parent can be hard. Being LGBTQ+ can be hard. Dating can be hard. For single LGBTQ+ parents, combing all three is a whole other thing entirely. The whole process of dating, becoming a step-parent, and blending a family is hard to navigate. LGBTQ+ families can feel like they're in uncharted waters. How did one family weave their own path? 
There has been a surge of public activism over the past several years. From Black Lives Matter to the Women's March, people are taking to the street across the country. How do families fit into these mass movements? We discuss how and why protesting must be a LGBTQ+ family affair.
Up For Debate

Up For Debate

2018-12-1832:30

When the rights and dignity of LGBTQ families are up for political debate, youth within our families are harmed...and called to action. Queerspawn activists can be the strongest voices for LGBTQ family rights. Listen to hear inspiring stories of people with LGBTQ parents turned experiences of political discrimination into powerful opportunities to use their voices.
Bisexual Parents Rock

Bisexual Parents Rock

2018-12-0430:50

Bisexual parents are a huge percentage of all LGBTQ parents, yet they continue to face challenges and discrimination from within and without the community. Here we talk about the fierce pride of bi+ people and parents, and how biphobia and bisexual invisibility is compounded by parenthood and having LGBTQ parents.
We Chose Each Other

We Chose Each Other

2018-11-2030:40

This National Adoption Month, meet the Simmons-Cianciotto Family! After years in the child welfare system, twelve-year-old cancer survivor Derrik found his forever home with dads Jason and Courter. The road through foster care and cross-state adoption wasn’t easy for the family. As dad Jason says, they are a powerful example of why LGBTQ parents AND youth shouldn’t be discriminated against in the child welfare system. Through it all they found each other to form their forever family. Today, Derrik is flourishing and the Simmons-Cianciotto family is complete.
This National Adoption Month, meet Rosemary Caldwell Llewellyn! Rosemary and her twin brother Robbie were adopted from Peru at six months old. Their adoption was the first second-parent adoption by a gay male couple in the city of Los Angeles. Now a professional social worker, Rosemary reflects on her experiences growing up in a trans-racial adoptive family, her identity, and how her parents supported her through the years.
November is National Adoption Month! Recently we’ve seen a wave of ‘license to discriminate’ bills in ten states that allow foster care and adoption agencies to discriminate against LGBTQ children, youth and qualified prospective parents. The Every Child Deserves a Family campaign promotes the best interests of all children in the foster care and adoption system by increasing their access to loving, stable, forever homes, and works to ensure safe and supportive care for LGBTQ youth seeking family formation. Julie Kruse, Family Equality Council's Director of Federal Policy and Schylar Baber, CEO of Youth Dynamics of Montana, join the host to share personal stories and dive into what LGBTQ youth and parents are facing in the child welfare system. Get inspired to take action! 
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